Jerusalem was in ruins. The walls, which in the distant past had given protection and safety, were broken down. The gates that at one time gave entrance and exit to the city, were burned. It was a horrible thing to envision for a dedicated Jew. Nehemiah was a dedicated man. He loved God and loved God’s city. Why? Because Jerusalem was the navel of the world. It was the city that David had conquered from the Jebusites over a half of a century earlier, dedicating the city to the Lord where God could have his own house, the Temple.
Nehemiah was born in exile. He had never laid physical eyes on Jerusalem like some of the old timers but he loved this city. When Israel’s harps had been hung in the willows, he listened with great interest to the stories from God’s weeping people who remembered the beauty of Jerusalem before the Babylonians conquered the city because of the sins of God’s people. These stories gave him a love for Jerusalem unlike any other city. Other cities were thought to be greater. Places like Babylon and Shushan were places of royalty, power and prestige but the only city that resided in Nehemiah’s heart was Jerusalem. News would travel slow in those days but with each new information the longing to help became stronger. It became more of a burden each time a new rider would come to the palace with news about Israel. His countenance began to change and the king noticed. Nehemiah shares his heart and Artaxerxes gives him permission to leave Persia and travel to Jerusalem. Letters, papers of authority with the King’s seal, are given to him telling lesser kings and authorities along the route to treat him with honor, give him the supplies he needs and don’t even think about harming him. Just to make sure, Artaxerxes sends soldiers to protect him. Once he arrives, he rests and thinks for three days. On the third night action begins.
1. He begins to look around (Nehemiah 2:12-16). The assessment is beginning. Before a leader can act, he or she must know what the true situation is. It is foolish to begin a project and not be thorough. Nehemiah is no fool. Riding a beast, horse or donkey most likely, he travels around the city. Starting at the Valley Gate and ending at the same place he survey’s the situation. At times during the midnight ride, the debris is so great he had to get off of his beast and walk. We don’t have a lot of physical debris to deal with but we have quite a bit in a spiritual sense. I have listened to the “talking heads” on the news stations and more than once I’ve heard them talking about the businesses that will never reopen because of the Covid-19 shutdown. Each time I heard that sentiment, my thought was, “What about the churches that won’t reopen?” I know of churches in America, not even thinking about those on mission fields, that were struggling to keep the lights on financially. I praise God for our church. Every obligation is being met because the Corinth family has been faithful in continuing to give. But some churches won’t make it unless God puts it in the hearts of His people to “rise and build.” Let’s draw it down even closer. What about you and me in our own lives? In the past three months we have had our schedules turned upside down. We have been limited in much of what we call normal. Our spiritual lives have been altered also. Church has changed, hopefully temporarily, but how are you fairing spiritually. Be truthful with yourself. Have you truly looked at the lay of the land in your life? How much debris have you allowed to gather hindering your Christian life since all this began? We must look honestly just as Nehemiah did if we are to “rise and build.”
2. He makes a List (2:17-18). “…ye see the distress that we are in…” There are priorities in a project like Nehemiah’s. Before any building can start, the trash has got to be removed. I like projects. I like to build things. One of the most frustrating things, when I begin to build something, is if the floor or table on which I’m working isn’t cleared of other stuff. This stuff may get knocked off the table or if I’m walking around I trip on clutter, making me want to say my Sunday School lessons. Nehemiah’s first priority was to remove debris. Our priority is to remove the debris. Debris comes in many packages and forms. I worry that some of our church family will get comfortable watching church instead of being in church. I worry that Christians forget that the gospel still needs to be told. After all it still is the good news. Make a list personally. I have done this. After I asked myself many questions about how my family and I have been affected, I made my mental list of priorities. God still comes first. I make it a priority to try and walk with him daily. In prayer and in the Bible. I want him to be constantly in my thoughts. I want to whisper many quick prayers often during the day just to keep short accounts with God. My second priority is family. I choose to give myself to them. My third priority is the church. While I list church as third, it is really hard for me to not consider number one and three as a combination. You cannot separate your walk with God from being a part of a church family. You never find ‘lone ranger’ Christians in the NT. They were saved, then baptized, then served in their church. During this slowdown remember it is only a slowdown not a stopping place. It won’t be long and the church will look back with hopefully lessons learned. Each of us must decide when, what, and how we will serve but serve we must. When you make your list make sure you can back it up biblically.
3. He shares with his Laborers (2:17-18). “…then I said unto them.” “…then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me.” Nehemiah could not do the work by himself. He had to have help. The men to whom he was speaking to had arrived in Jerusalem in the first and second returns. Why hadn’t they felt the burden? Why hadn’t the debris already been removed? They’d been busy with life. The men didn’t have a focus on the Lord or his city. Nehemiah was not a preacher or prophet, but once this layman rolled into town, observing, listing his step-by-step plan, and encouraging the men to zero in on the need, things began to happen. It is amazing what can happen when a group of God’s people decide to “rise and build.” I travel back often with wonderful memories of the people of Corinth over the past forty years. The building projects, mission projects, special activities, conferences, and goals met have been a source of pride and joy. Pride in the faithfulness of the church family and joy for being a part of it. I want to ask you a question. Are your best days as a Christian behind you? Your best days with your bodies might be behind you. But our best days as a Christian ought to be in front of us. The closer we get to the Lord the better our days as Christians. I’ll go a step farther. I believe that the best days for churches can be in front of them. God allowed this slowdown and He will guide in the future. I am excited about the possibilities. God may lead us into new ways of doing ministry. He may lead us to be more fruitful. These trying times may be the precursor to a national revival. I know I sure hope so. The phrase in 2:18 “…the hand of my God was good upon me” is a phrase that I love. Often, I pray that blessing on others, I pray it for our country, but I especially pray it for our church family. Let us rise up and build. As a church family, let us see together the purpose God has for us and walk together with that purpose in mind.